What scouts told Bob McGinn about Tony Mandarich before the 1989 draft:

TOM BRAATZ, THEN WITH PACKERS: “He isn’t necessarily the best I’ve ever seen. I was very high on Bill Fralic. Anthony Munoz is a better pass blocker than Mandarich. He doesn’t have feet like Munoz or Mike Kenn. On the other hand, you’ve got his tenacity, which Paul Gruber and Munoz and Kenn don’t have.”

TOM BOISTURE, GIANTS: “Tom Braatz should spend all of his time in church praying that Dallas takes Aikman. You can get quarterbacks. You can’t get Mandariches. He’s like what O.J. Simpson was for a running back. Pound for pound he’s the best athlete I’ve seen, And there’s a lot of pounds there, baby.”

MIKE LOMBARDI, BROWNS: “A freak of nature.”

ART SHELL, RAIDERS: “If he stays healthy, he’ll be a Hall of Famer. The only thing he’ll have to improve on is pass protection, but it is a small weakness. He didn’t do a lot of it in college.”

DICK STEINBERG, THEN WITH PATRIOTS: “Really, don’t look for any holes. He still has to perform once he gets in the league, but he’s got to have as many physical tools as anybody who’s ever come in.”

RON WOLF, THEN WITH RAIDERS: “The best guy I have seen is Mike Munchak. I have him rated with Munchak. I think he is outstanding.”

JERRY VAINISI, THEN WITH LIONS: “Gruber is a hell of a player. Well, Mandarich makes him look like a second-stringer.”

BOBB MCKITTRICK, 49ERS: “He doesn’t have what I call innate feel for the game, but there’s nothing wrong with it. You tell him who to block and he’ll block him. But if that guys falls down, he doesn’t instinctively go get the next guy like you’d like.”

JOE WOOLLEY, EAGLES: “He’s a man among children.”

MIKE ALLMAN, SEAHAWKS: “I don’t remember anything coming out in the last 20 years like him. This kid is faster and stronger than Anthony Munoz.”

JERRY REICHOW, VIKINGS: “No reservations at all. We’d jump on him in a minute. But there is no perfect guy.”

ANONYMOUS AFC SCOUT: “When he gets off the ‘roids, and comes down to 280 or 290, he’s still going to be outstanding.”

BILL KUHARICH, SAINTS: “This guy is like Ron Yary. There’s no comparison between Mandarich and Fralic. Fralic is a good player but Mandarich is rare.”

GIL BRANDT, THEN WITH COWBOYS: “They’ll be getting a player that probably will be in the Pro Bowl for the next 10 years.”